


for a lifetime

by gothzabini (girl412)



Series: who would've thought? [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Clubbing, Established Relationship, F/M, Look I Tried My Best, POV Harry Potter, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girl412/pseuds/gothzabini
Summary: Contentment isn't an easy thing to define or to understand, but sometimes it just takes a moment & a feeling of being loved, unconditionally; of belonging with a group of people and knowing that they appreciate having you there. At least, that's how things seem to Harry.





	for a lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> have I used too many prompts? possibly. have i misused these prompts? perhaps. anyway, here goes.

Harry frowns in the Slytherin sweater, resisting the urge to fidget. He lets Pansy line his eyes with black eyeliner and glittery green eye-shadow. He’s survived Voldemort twice, he thinks he can deal with his eccentric and terrifying girlfriend redecorating his face, even if all the glitter is forming annoying little constellations against his dark skin.

In the dim light of their apartment, Harry can’t help thinking that Pansy looks soft. Her broad shoulders and angled face look ethereal, and even her turned-up nose gives her face character. He wants to kiss her, but he can’t help feeling that she’d complain about him ruining their make-up. The thought makes him smirk. 

“Something wrong, darling?” Pansy asks, managing to make Harry’s Quidditch jersey look unreasonably attractive, especially paired with the Gryffindor kneesocks he suspects that she’s stolen from Ginny. 

Harry shakes his head, even though he just wants to go clubbing with Pansy and their friends as soon as possible. They have a game they play, featuring tequila shots mixed with what Hermione calls “the ethical version of love potion,” which makes you horny, but doesn’t take away your ability to say no. The more outrageous versions of this game have featured slowdancing and some very dubious theatrical acts. 

Pansy, as always, can tell what he’s thinking. “We’ll leave soon, Potter. You know, when I see your face, there’s not a thing I’d change.” 

“Hilarious,” Harry says drily, staring at the eye make-up that she’s generously applied and remembering how their first date had involved Pansy insisting he buy new glasses, and finding a new set of frames for him in less than twenty minutes. 

When they’re finally done, Harry loops an arm around Pansy’s waist, and she gives him one of her gentle smiles. They parade outside, marching like aurors on stakeout. Pansy begins to sing, and Harry sighs. 

“On nights like this, I wish you’d just given me over to Voldemort.”

Pansy giggles. “You know I tried, love.” 

They don’t stay too long at the club. The drinking game’s been cancelled, since something about the potions were off. Either that, or Blaise has decided that now is a good time to announce that his animagus is a frog. 

“The potion wasn’t supposed to do that!” Theo is saying to Ginny, who nods and looks unconvinced. Draco doesn’t seem too bothered – they’re cupping the frog in their hands and speaking to Frog Blaise in perfectly accented French. Daphne seems drunk already, her arms are wrapped possessively around Ginny, but she’s brought back the old argument over how Millicent’s middle name is pronounced. Harry doesn’t think he can contribute, since he doubts he can spell her name, let alone pronounce it. Daphne seems to get angrier and angrier, and even Ginny patting her thigh at odd intervals isn’t enough to soothe her.

Ron steps up, as he usually does in these situations. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” he says, authoritative as usual. “We agreed we wouldn’t ever have this argument again.”

“Daph, he’s right,” Ginny says reluctantly. Ever since the last time they’d had this argument and nearly gotten kicked out of a bookshop, it was decidedly off limits.

Pansy leans against Harry, and he closes his eyes, living in the moment. Unfortunately, the moment is ruined by Astoria making a whooping noise. Trust her to get drunk this early in the proceedings. 

“Pet names!! You know what that means!” 

“No, we do not,” Draco says drily. “What could it mean? Awkward piano sex? Strap ons? A praise kink?” 

“Shush,” Astoria says dreamily, and Harry is too aware of Pansy’s stifled laughter in his ear. “It means they’re in love.” 

“Tori, you may have had a little too much to drink,” Neville says.

“No such thing,” Astoria declares, before downing another glass.

“That’s probably our cue to leave,” Harry whispers to Pansy.

“But I haven’t even put talcum powder in Draco’s hair yet!” Pansy protests under her breath, loud enough only for Harry to hear. Harry hides his laugh. 

“Leave them alone, they’ve been through enough,” Harry says, taking her hand and waving adieu to their friends. The friends, being used to weird behaviour from Harry and Pansy, merely wave back before resuming their drunk antics. Pansy raises an eyebrow, a habit Harry suspects she’s picked up from Draco. She’s obviously surprised that Harry is defending them. Harry shrugs, unperturbed. Hogwarts was a long time ago.

Daphne looks like she’s trying to count Ginny’s freckles, tracing lines on her face with her index finger. Blaise the frog has now hopped onto Neville’s head. Hermione has opened a thick book that she’s scrolling through, for a remedy probably. Draco looks like they’re going to start pulling DVDs out of their backpack and invite themself for movie nights at the Weasleys again. Theo’s reading Muggle magazines as usual. 

Pansy and Harry exchange a look, staring at their odd friend group that’s sitting in the corner of the club, looking like they belong there. Harry thinks about his childhood; about the loneliness and the fear and the numbness. He’s never been less lonely or afraid in his life, and right now, he feels like he’s really living it, like he finally knows what it means to be alive. 

“We’re really the found family trope come to life, aren’t we?” Pansy asks, and Harry nods. She knows him so well. “Come on, let’s go home.” 

Harry smiles as she side-along apperates him. Pansy’s so easy to love, but it’s not because she’s nice. It’s because she’s a bitch, but she’s a bitch who cares, and Harry’s always needed someone like that in his life.

She’s singing as he brushes his teeth and this time he doesn’t make any comments, just lets her sing.

“ _I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night_  
_Wasn’t I worth your time?_  
_You look at me and I can’t breathe_  
_I’d give you my whole life.”_

“And I’d give you mine,” Harry says, and he means it.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! hope you enjoyed <33
> 
> I want to put together a drabble for Daphne/Ginny as a companion piece to this, and maybe one about Draco's gender identity as well, but I only found out about this challenge today and unfortunately I cannot write that fast. I could try though :/


End file.
